Texas Border Business
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – The Texas Border Coalition (TBC) is urging President Biden and members of Congress to move beyond the nation’s long-standing “band-aid” approach to immigration and border security, and modernize the failed U.S. immigration system, now.
“Band-aid solutions will not produce the results our region, state, and nation demand,” Cameron County Judge and TBC Chairman Eddie Treviño, Jr., wrote in a letter to President Biden, DHS officials, congressional leaders, and members of the Texas delegation.
“While our border communities are among the safest in the country, partisan fights that turn the border region into a political football sully our standing and harm our people. It is time our leaders put aside the partisan bickering that can achieve no more than temporary, ineffective results and join together to solve the problem,” he said.
“As we all know, the COVID-related requirement known as Title 42 to expel adult migrants entering the U.S. via the Mexico border was always a band-aid and not a solution. Plans to address the influx of migrants that will result from its lifting on May 23 are also short-term and will foster new problems,” the judge added.
“This moment creates an opportunity for Congress to finally address the fundamental issues and legislate a solution built on the pillars of modernizing immigration and strengthening security,” Treviño noted.
Following is a copy of the TBC letter in its entirety:
April 7, 2022
The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
President of the United States
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Biden:
The Texas Border Coalition (TBC) is the collective voice of border communities on issues that affect Texas-Mexico border region’s quality of life, commerce, and public policy. TBC is comprised of mayors, city council members, county judges, county executives, businesses, corporations, and community leaders. No region of the United States has a greater interest in border security than our communities.
For more than 15 years, TBC has advocated for smart, effective border security. To achieve this goal, we have supported measures to modernize the failed U.S. immigration system in place today and for border security strategies to defeat human and contraband smuggling at the U.S.-Mexico border.
We believe both elements are essential to achieving smart, effective security at the border. Instead of adopting this approach, our national and state leaders have resorted to piecemeal, incomplete tactics that, no matter how well intentioned, have not resolved the security issue.
Band-aid solutions will not produce the results our region, state, and nation demand.
While our border communities are among the safest in the country, partisan fights that turn the border region into a political football sully our standing and harm our people. It is time our leaders put aside the partisan bickering that can achieve no more than temporary, ineffective results and join together to solve the problem.
As we all know, the COVID-related requirement known as Title 42 to expel adult migrants entering the U.S. via the Mexico border was always a band-aid and not a solution. Plans to address the influx of migrants that will result from its lifting on May 23 are also short-term and will foster new problems.
This moment creates an opportunity for Congress to finally address the fundamental issues and legislate a solution built on the pillars of modernizing immigration and strengthening security.
The smart, effective solution includes:
· More and better equipped Customs agents at the land ports of entry and Border Patrol agents between the ports.
· Technological improvements at and between the ports that will make our border security workforce more effective and efficient.
· Modernizing our immigration to address DREAMERs, agricultural workers and to create and expand visa availability for temporary workers desperately needed to help our economy grow.
These initiatives have been debated in Congress for many years and we are grateful for the small steps that have been taken, under Democratic and Republican presidents, to advance them. While bringing them a compromise the President can sign will be difficult, Americans will generously celebrate such an achievement.
Texas border communities urge action, now, to bring about the security we demand and deserve.
Sincerely,
Eddie Treviño, Jr.
Chairman, Texas Border Coalition
County Judge, Cameron County, Texas
CC: The Honorable Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States
The Honorable Xavier Becerra, Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
The Honorable Esteban Moctezuma, Ambassador, Embassy of Mexico in the United States
Office of Public Engagement, The White House
The Honorable John Cornyn, U.S. Senator
The Honorable Ted Cruz, U.S. Senator
The Honorable Greg Abbott, Texas Governor
The Honorable Raul Ruiz, Chairman, Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) and CHC Members
Karinda Washington, Acting Assistant Secretary, Office of Partnership and Engagement, DHS
Charles L. Wollenhaupt, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, Private Sector Office, DHS
Felicia Escobar Carrillo, Chief of Staff, U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services, DHS
Victor De Leon, Chief, Intergovernmental Affairs, Office of the Commissioner, DHS
Texas Border Congressional Caucus
Texas Border Legislative Delegation
